Beauty and the Beast, with a Twilight twist
by LLegs
Summary: <html><head></head>Based on my favourite fairytale and movie by Disney ever, 'Beauty and the Beast', combined with characters from 'Twilight'.</html>
1. Prologue

This is based on my favourite fairytale and Disney movie of all time with a little Twilight thrown in. I don't own the characters, obviously, but I have fun playing around with them! Let me know what you think!

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><p><strong><span>Prologue<span>**

_Once upon a time in a far away land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired the prince was spoiled, selfish and unkind. But then one winter's night an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold._

_Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress._

_The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart; and as punishment she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there._

_Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle, with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his twenty-first year. If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time._

_As the years passed he fell into despair and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love a beast?_

"More Daddy, more!" she almost yelled, becoming impatient when he stopped reading.

"When you finish tidying before bed," he replied, smiling down at her.

She jumped out of bed and ran around her room, grabbing the toys from her bed and hurrying to put them away so she could hear more of her favourite story, all if things went her way. Running around her room, she had no idea just how much of an effect this story was going to have on her life.


	2. Chapter 1

_So I'm giving this a go. If it doesn't work out I'll pull the story again. I know we writer's write because we love it, but when no-one wants to read what we build up the courage to share it is very disheartening and hard to keep writing. Once I get as far as I did last time I will decide if this story will keep going or be doomed to an eternity in an never-opened file on my hard-drive. I hope this story is everything you hope it to be and more. It has a special place in my heart and always will._

_Enjoy!_

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 1<span>**

_It originated in Mrs. Gardiner, who, fatigued by the exercise of the morning, found Elizabeth's arm inadequate to her support, and consequently preferred her husband's. Mr. Darcy took her place by her niece, and they walked on together._

She never tired of 'Pride and Prejudice'. She had lost count of how many times she had read it and never once was she bored. Elizabeth Bennett was one of her favourite literary characters ever written. She was slightly flawed, but this just made her more appealing. Perfection was over-rated and boring.

The bell over the door chimed, dragging Alice away from Pemberly and back to her little bookstore. She had been a lover of books as a child, an affection which had only grown exponentially as she became an adult. She was only ever truly happy when she was surrounded by books, owning her own bookstore had been a way to indulge in her love completely.

Looking up, she smiled at the delivery man who called into her store on a regular basis.

"Hi Garrett!" she smiled as he approached her counter.

"Hi Alice!" he replied, smiling broadly as he handed her a package and clipboard to sign, "What is it today?"

"Let's see, shall we?" she replied as she signed along the dotted line before reaching for the unknown book in the cardboard box.

She didn't get too many customers coming into her small store, which suited her just fine. It gave her more time to read and hunt. She spent a lot of her time reading and the rest looking for rare books. It gave her a thrill every time she opened the cover of a first edition or had a hard to find book in her possession. It was because of this deep fascination with books that many of her sales were made through the post, only hand-delivering a few locally.

Carefully opening up the box and removing the paper around the book, she could barely contain herself from tearing the wrapping to pieces. She felt like a kid on Christmas morning, she always did. The smile on her face widened as she revealed the book to the world.

"Oh my God!" she squealed, clasping her hands together before reaching to stroke the book softly, "It's Narnia!"

"Narnia?" he asked, wondering if she had, in fact, finally lost her mind over a book.

"Yes, a first edition of 'The Magician's Nephew', the first in the series!" she stroked the cover lovingly, remembering the first time she had discovered Narnia. She had been completely engrossed as she took the place of Digory in her mind and watched Narnia awaken for the first time.

"A first of a first. Cool!" Garrett said as he watched her, amused.

"Thanks Garrett," quietly came from her mouth as she lost herself in another world with her newly-acquired book.

She waved vaguely in the direction of the door as he said goodbye and smiled at her, amused as she never failed to brighten his day with her inattention to people when a book was in front of her.

Completely forgetting about Pemberly, Alice was quickly consumed with the adventures of Digory and Polly, the discovery of the White Witch and the awakening of Narnia. She grumbled when the phone rang or the computer beeped and she had some actual work to do.

It was dark when she finally closed over 'The Magician's Nephew' and looked up. Being a regular occurrence, she shouldn't have been shocked by the late hour but, of course, she was. She wrapped the book up carefully and found a safe place to keep it until it was someone else's turn.

She turned on the alarm, locked up and secured the shutters before heading home, Pemberly waiting patiently in her bag.

As she walked, the cool night air quietly refreshing, she revelled in the tranquility of her journey. It was quiet where she lived, a nice quiet you could enjoy. The night-time sounds made her smile as she heard them, thoughts of the Lion and the Bennetts interwoven in her mind.

Still lost in her world of books, she walked through the front door and was greeted with the smell of homemade soup and bread wafting from the kitchen.

"Dad, I'm home!" she called as she closed the door. "Mmm, smells good."

"Hey sweetie!" the kind-looking man who had her nose smiled at her, wiping his hands on a tea-towel as he stepped though the kitchen door. "Have a good day?"

"Yeah," she replied as they hugged warmly.

Just as she was about to elaborate the phone rang.

"Hold that thought," he instructed his daughter, holding up a hand and throwing the tea-towel over his shoulder before reaching for the phone. "Hello? Hi Harry, what's up?"

She smiled at her father as she made her way into the kitchen and helped herself to the pot of soup on the hob, inhaling the smells wafting around her as she sat at the table, choosing a seat right beside the homemade bread. Her father loved to work in the kitchen, but didn't often get time due to work commitments. When he did have time he loved it.

John Brandon was a construction worker. He owned his own company and loved to get stuck right in with the work. He loved to work with his hands and had a style all of his own that was recognised by anyone who knew it. A drawback of this was that he often worked odd hours. He had worked for many people in the city, as well as a few further afield. Alice didn't like it when he was gone for long periods of time, but that was the nature of the industry. He was currently working for a local millionaire...billionaire...someone with a lot of money. It was quite common for Harry Clearwater to ring at strange hours with another worry related to their latest project.

Harry worked for...with Alice's father. He had been a family friend for longer than she would ever remember. He had grown up with her father and was always known to her as 'Uncle Harry', almost a second father to her.

As she emptied her plates and moved to the sink to wash up, she could still hear her father running through everything with Harry over the phone for the third time that week. She smiled as she left the kitchen and whispered "Goodnight Dad" to her father and kissed him on the cheek. His whispered reply of "Goodnight sweetie" was accompanied by a wave as he continued with what would probably be a long conversation.

She readied herself for bed as quickly as she could, probably not paying as much attention to her teeth as she should have but not caring. Snuggling up under her blankets, she lost herself again in the world of Elizabeth Bennett, falling asleep amid declarations of love with a lion watching over them in the distance.


	3. Chapter 2

_So here's chapter 2. Feeling a bit silly now since I'm talking to no-one! One more update and then the future of this story will be decided._

_And obviously 'Beauty and the Beast', 'Disney' and 'Twilight' are not my creations._

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Alice woke early the next morning, cursing the alarm as she always did and attacking it with a little more force than necessary with her fist. After all, it wasn't the alarms fault it was doing the job she had made sure the night before it would do. However, no-one liked to be rudely awoken from a most enjoyable and relaxing dream. The harshness of reality and the blinding sunlight pouring through the curtains that hadn't been properly pulled closed again were not the best way to wake up from that wonderful place, especially when accompanied by a screaming torture device otherwise known as an alarm clock.

Bleary-eyed, she dragged herself unwillingly from her bed and down to the kitchen. She was glad her Dad had left early for work as she wouldn't be lectured on her use of too much butter or her toast or sugar in her tea. Although she did miss saying good morning and seeing him. She'd ring him later she decided as she smiled to herself and her mug of tea. After a quick shower and an argument with her hair, which neither of them would win outright, she grabbed an apple from the kitchen, threw her bag over her shoulder and headed out.

She almost felt a little naughty as she munched on the apple, like she was breaking the rules, as she thought about her new book. She thought about every story she had ever read where apples were the forbidden fruit. It was always apples. As her thoughts became more and more involved and warped, making her wonder what rule she was breaking by eating her apple, she laughed at herself, scolding herself for letting her thoughts run away from her again, and so early in the morning!

Her day seemed to pass in a blur of normality. Orders were made and taken, a few customers wandered in and out, her father called mid-morning to say hi and sorry he'd missed her earlier but he'd had to go to work. She didn't mind, she never did, as she chatted with him for a few minutes about nothing really before jumping back into the cyber world. Her day was made when she found a first edition of 'Little Women', almost screaming out loud in excitement when she discovered it!

It was some time in the afternoon when the bell above her door twinkled and her mood dropped when she looked up from her ogling of 'The Magician's Nephew' and saw who it was. Demetri Goldins, and his shaddow Felix Carlton, walked into her shop with a swagger and a smug expression. He was mirrored by Felix, who was nowhere near as annoying or egotistical as his overly-muscular friend, but annoying just the same! Alice tolerated them, remained civil and kind, as this was who she was.

"Alice!" Demetri boomed way too loudly for a sports hall never mind her shop.

"Hello Demetri," she replied.

Felix had disappeared back out the door almost as soon as he had entered after a stern look from Demetri.

"Alice, Alice, Alice," he said as he approached her counter and leaned down on it, grinning in a way that made her skin crawl. She moved her book quickly before it could be squashed under his club of an arm.

"What can I do for you Demetri?" she asked him, quickly followed by, "Is there any particular book you are looking for?" She didn't want him to get any ideas, not that he didn't have any already.

"The question is, what can _I_ do for _you_?" he came back with in a suggestive manner she just didn't like.

"Oh I'm perfectly fine and more than capable of looking after myself," she retorted as she began to wrap 'The Magician's Nephew' carefully in its tissue paper.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked in the same stomach-churning tone. "It's not right for a woman to be lost in all these books when there are so much more interesting things to consider. Like me," he continued, his voiced getting more suggestive and deeper as his eyebrow rose higher. She was forced to swallow bile that suddenly found itself in her mouth and snatch 'The Magician's Nephew' out of his reach before he could maul it with his sausage fingers. She placed it under her counter, far from his hands.

"Seriously Alice," he began, his tone changed to almost exasperated. "A woman should not spend so much time with paper and words and running her own business...it's just not right when there's cooking and cleaning to do."

"Demetri, you are positively primeval," Alice replied.

"Why thank you!" he smiled broadly.

She sighed inwardly at his blatant disrespect for the female gender and sat up a little straighter, shocked by his response.

"So what do you say?" he asked.

"About what?" she replied in as civil a tone as she could muster.

"Come and see my trophies at the pub and my plaques on the wall." he grinned, completely ignorant to her indifference and distaste.

Alice heard the door twinkle again as she replied, "I don't think so Demetri," sick of turning him down. He was someone who always had everything handed to them, was the local 'hero', and was not used to hearing 'no'.

"Why not?" he asked, offended.

"Yeah, why not?" Felix added from about a foot or more below Demetri's head.

"I have work to do," she began, fighting back the urge to break his nose when he scoffed. "And I have to make dinner for my father."

"Sure he's not completely helpless, he's useful sometimes!" Felix guffawed, joined by Demetri who slapped him on the back in appreciation.

"Don't talk about my father that way!" she snapped at them.

"Yeah, don't talk about her father that way!" Demetri added as he smacked Felix across the back of the head.

Alice was long past anger now, almost fuming. It took all of her willpower not to attack them like a rabid cat.

"I think you should leave, I have a lot of work to do," she said very calmly through tense teeth.

"Aw, but we're just hangin'," Demetri crooned, leaning on her counter again.

Alice suddenly felt the need to shower and burn all of her clothes. Reaching under her counter, she pressed a few buttons on her mobile phone and the store phone rang shrilly. She picked it up and spoke into it.

"Hello, Alice's Books, how may I help you? Yes...yes we do...yes...no...I can get that...yes, of course...paperback?...hardback..." As she spoke she jotted down random titles and authors in her notebook. Demetri eventually took the hint and, with Felix in tow, left the store. She waited a few minutes before she hung up and busied herself with anything to deter another visit.

She had calmed down a little by the time she was heading home. Unfortunately, the calm evening was quickly ruined when she ran into the three dumbest blondes she had ever had the unfortunate experience to meet. Lauren Mallory, Lucy Smith and Athenodora 'Athena' Volturi had made it their business to bump into her, completely disgusted by her disgraceful treatment of the glorious Demetri Goldins.

"Hello Alice," Lauren seethed through a smile as fake as her nose.

"Lauren, Lucy, Athena," Alice greeted them.

"And how are you today?" asked Lucy.

"I'm fine, how about you?" Her patience was wearing thin now. It had already been heavily tested once that day. There was no knowing if it could get through another.

"Fine? I would've said insane!" Lucy almost screeched.

"Excuse me?" Alice asked, confused.

"The way you treated Demetri! What's wrong with you?" Lauren asked.

"You're crazy!" Lucy continued.

"He's gorgeous!" Athena added.

"You can think what you like, but what I do is my business and mine alone." With that, Alice stalked away before she did or said something she just might regret later.

The three blonde girls stood in shocked silence for a moment before muttering and insulting Alice amongst themselves then heading off to find Demetri in the pub and swoon over his muscles and hair.

While they got giddier and giddier at the thoughts of the tight tank top and firm muscles, Alice made her way home in a foul mood. Even the evening sounds didn't serve to cheer her as they usually did. She knew what everyone was thinking and saying, she had ears. How strange for such a pretty, even beautiful girl to be single! Beauty? Ha! There were more important things to be worrying about. And just because she liked to read, learn new things and be her own person didn't make her odd! Sometimes, no matter how nice and cheerful people were, they could be so backward and mean.

She slammed the door harder than she had intended to and dropped her bag in a huff at the foot of the stairs.

"Bad day?" her father asked as he came out of the kitchen to see what all the noise was about.

"It was fine," she replied, not wanting to relive one second of the annoyance provided by Demetri and his groupies. "Hi Dad!" she smiled as she embraced him.

"Hi honey," he replied, kissing her on the forehead. "I'm just fixing dinner, care to assist?"

She smiled at him and nodded a reply before following him into the kitchen.

As she chopped some vegetables to be steamed, she asked her father a question that had been bothering her since her run-in with the 'triplets'.

"Dad, do you think I'm odd?"

"My daughter? Odd? Huh! Where would you get an idea like that?" he asked as he made homemade pasta in a rather unorthodox manner, having decided that his elbows worked much better than his hands or the rolling pin. He was a smart, intelligent man, but sometimes he just made her laugh.

She smiled lovingly at him as he stared down the pasta then attacked it with a knife, having broken the pasta-maker weeks ago. He swore it flew across the room and smashed into the wall all by itself.

"Oh I don't know, it's just that I'm not sure I really fit in here. There's no-one I can really talk to," she sighed, hating that people could make her feel this way.

"What about that Demetri? He's a handsome fellow," her father replied. He had seen the way Demetri looked at his daughter, and while not happy about it he knew that she was a young woman now and no longer his baby girl.

"Oh he's handsome alright! And rude and conceited and...oh Dad he's not for me," she sighed again as she dropped the vegetables into the steamer.

John Brandon had never been so relieved and happy to hear insults coming from his daughter's mouth. After all, they were eloquently put and the truth.

"Well, don't you worry. It's a big world out there with a lot more people than our little corner here," he said as he finished up with the pasta, which somehow miraculously looked like angel's hair!

It wasn't long before they were sitting down to eat, and after discussing the ogre her father was currently working for, he was asking about what she'd been doing.

"I got a new book," she told him.

The rest of the evening was spent discussing Narnia and how Alice had almost gotten lost there as a child searching for it in every wardrobe she could find! It was the reason every wardrobe, cupboard and press in their house had scratch-marks on them!


	4. Chapter 3

Big, huge shout out to Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' here! Anyone who's seen this movie will know exactly which scene I was wetting myself laughing at when this chapter was being written! Such a great movie.

And obviously a shout out to 'Twilight'!

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 3<strong>

The following week passed in a haze of books, phones calls, father and daughter passing like ships in the night and way too many situations to avoid with the walking truck of sexist idiocy and his band of merry morons. Now normally Alice tried to be nice and polite about everything but sometimes there was just no way to make that happen.

Thursday brought her another verbal attack and a headache. Friday the blonde trio threw her scornful looks and verbal snakes after she'd felt like tearing her hair out after a claim that 'Matt's First Motorcycle' was better than anything she'd ever had in her store. Saturday she resorted to painkillers after yet another unwanted visit. Sunday was supposed to be her day of rest. No such luck since she was accosted on a walk in the park. Sammy, her dog, hadn't liked that and had snapped and barked a lot. Good dog! Monday she felt like crying and by Tuesday she'd had enough. She'd thought he'd finally gotten the message and he'd leave her alone. Even he had to realise a million no's meant no!

It had been a gloriously sunny day and she hadn't heard from him or his band of followers all morning. The post had been and gone so she'd decided to close up early and head home to bask in the warmth of the day. She had just sat down and settled into a book while waiting for the kettle to boil when there was a knock on the door. She looked through the peephole, rolled her eyes and groaned before opening it. She jumped back as he barged his way in, oozing confidence and slime.

"Demetri, what a pleasant surprise," she said hesitantly as she backed away, thinking it was anything but and wondering how bad it would be this time.

"Isn't it though!" he replied as he stalked towards her like a predator cornering its prey. "I'm just full of surprises," he added, making her swallow bile.

She was still backing away, trying to get rid of the foul taste in her mouth, when he continued talking, not waiting to let her get a word in, as she found herself moving around the sideboard she'd backed into.

"You know Alice," he began as he leaned down on the sideboard with his meat-cleaver fists, "There isn't a girl in town who wouldn't love to be in your shoes!" His smile made her stomach turn in a very bad way and she gagged. "This is the day..." He stopped when he looked in the mirror and cleaned his teeth with his tongue, 'ah'ing his approval when he'd removed the non-existent blemish. She rolled her eyes again and concentrated on calming breaths when he continued. "This is the day when all your dreams come true!" he announced as he stalked towards her again and she found herself backing around the couch in the living room in a desperate need to be away from him.

"What do you know about my dreams Demetri?" It took an incredible amount of willpower but she somehow managed not to scoff as she replied.

"Plenty! Here, picture this," he began as he collapsed onto the couch and dropped his feet onto the coffee table she loved so much, making her cringe and boil in anger at the blatant disrespect and possible scratches. "A two-storey semi-d with a big garden, my latest awards out on display and my little wife massaging my feet," he continued as he kicked off his shoes and wiggled his toes and eyebrows suggestively, forcing her to cover her mouth with her hand for fear of projectile vomit. And then it got worse..."While the little ones play on the floor with the dogs. We'll have six or seven."

"Dogs?" she asked, really at a loss for what to say.

"No Alice," he almost laughed as he stood up, "Strapping boys like me!"

"Imagine that," she said, cringing at the possible thought of it ever occurring to her to consider imagining it.

"And do you know who that little wife will be?" he asked as his voice lowered, removing himself from the couch and getting closer to her as she busied herself with tidying in an effort to avoid him.

"Let me think," she replied as she placed some books onto a shelf in the corner.

"You Alice!" he announced triumphantly as he attempted to trap her in the corner and began to pucker his lips.

She ducked under his arms before he could get any bright, or stupid, ideas.

"Demetri, I'm...I'm...speechless!" And she was. It was a rarity. How idiotically stupid was he? Infinitely by the looks of it. "I really don't know what to say."

"Say you'll come see a movie with me and _sit_ in the back row! Maybe a burger after and then the back seat of my car!" Wow, he sure knew how to woo a girl! She had gone way beyond her boiling point, having reached it way too many times to count that week already.

"I'm very sorry Demetri but...but...I just don't deserve you!" That was the politest way she could think of to get rid of him.

"Probably...but you're the most beautiful girl around and that makes you the best. And I deserve the best!"

That was it, the final straw. She couldn't possibly take anymore, and she wouldn't. She shouldn't have had to take any of it! He was the vilest excuse for a man she had ever met and his backwards way of thinking made her so angry she literally saw red. There was more to her than looks and an oven in her abdomen. Any time he was in her vicinity he made her skin crawl and he always put her off her lunch.

"That's it!" she yelled, dropping the newspaper angrily to the coffee table. "I have had more than enough of you Demetri Goldens! I am sick to death of you! And the only thing 'golden' about you is your asinine manner!"

He tuned to look behind himself, grinning broadly.

"Yes, I do have a great ass!"

"Asinine Demetri! You're asinine!," she yelled even louder.

She bent to pick up his shoes while he tried to figure out why she was saying 'ass' wrong. Maybe it was something out of her books, silly girl. He'd find out later what she meant.

"Now take your smelly..." she threw a shoe at him, "disgusting..." she threw the other, "filthy shoes out of my house and don't come back!"

"Ouch! Hey! Alice! What is wrong with you?" He'd missed the first shoe, not expecting it, but picked it up quickly as he caught the second. He wouldn't be left with a bruise or anything but it still pissed him off that she threw his shoes at him.

"You!" she yelled louder still, "You are what's wrong with me! I have said no to you way too many times in way too many different ways and enough is enough! You are a vile, nasty, way too rude and disrespectful for words, greedy, sickening, repulsive, vane and egotistical to the point of insanity, stupidly, idiotically, moronic man! Even if there was a nuclear holocaust and we were the last two people left on the planet and the fate of the human race depended on us I would never, NEVER want anything to do with you! Now get OUT and never come back!"

He didn't follow and couldn't understand most of what she'd said, but he knew it wasn't good.

"Get out!" she screamed again when he didn't move.

"Fine Alice Brandon, but you'll regret this!" he yelled back at her. "You'll regret ever turning me down!" he added as he headed towards the door.

The door was slammed behind him, both of them having something to do with it, and he was gone.

She leaned with her back against the door breathing heavily then jumped and bolted it, just in case. She knew he couldn't get in but she wasn't going to risk it. It was a full five minutes before she could calm her anger and breathing down enough to allow herself to move away from the door and into the kitchen where all of the dangerously sharp things were.


	5. Chapter 4

I know i's been a very long time since I have updated. Thank you so much for sticking with me and this story, I really do want to see it through to the end. I've been working my way through a very dark place and am fighting to make out. I hope you can continue to remain patient with me and Chapter 4 lives up to your expectations.

As always, Disney's _Beauty and the Beast_ and _Twilight_ have been the inspiration for this story and all characters within.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 4**

The next few days passed in a blur of sales, orders, Alice and her father passing each other like ships in the night and, thankfully, a complete lack of contact with or sightings of Demetri. After almost a week without having to fend him off, Alice found herself breathing so much easier that it actually began to trouble her just a little. It took another two days for her to figure out exactly why that was, basking in the relief of his absence so much. Apart from regular deliveries from Garrett and a handful of customers, Alice had had no other human contact. It had been over a week since she had said more than 'Hello' or 'See ya' to her father.

Alice was troubled by this as she went about closing up for the day. She turned the key in the door and flipped the sign to _closed_ as she pulled her phone from her pocket and dialled his number.

"Hey sweetie," came her fathers tired voice just before it went to voicemail, "What's up?"

Alice visibly relaxed as she heard his voice. "The roof," she replied with a smile.

"Ha ha, very funny," came a sarcastic voice down the line, "And I should hope so!"

She could almost see him looking up to check the roof/ceiling of wherever he happened to be.

"You gonna be home for dinner tonight? I'm trying to decide what to make. I could maybe get a little adventurous!" Alice tried to entice her father.

"Oh I'm sorry sweetheart, it's looking like another late one I'm afraid." He tried to contain his sigh but Alice caught it, killing her own in the process.

"Rain, hale, sleet or snow, you'll keep doing the work and he'll keep you on the go!"

"That's right!"

This had become a running joke soon after her father had finalised, agreed upon and accepted his current contract. Her father was completely renovating and restoring a local rich guys estate. She had never met him but from what she could get out of her father he was very demanding, particular and abrasive to the extreme.

"As soon as this is all over we will have an entire week of meals, I promise. We'll eat so much we'll have to be rolled around the place!" John Brandon promised his daughter, hating that he was disappointing her and hating that she was so understanding about the situation.

"I'll make a three tired chocolate cake!"

"Excellent!" Sounds of raised voices could be heard getting closer and Alice knew that her father was about to have to sort yet another disaster that could range from a fallen wall to a chair one centimetre to the left instead of the right.

"See you later Dad."

"See ya sweetie."

And then her phone was silent and she was alone once again in the silence of her shop.

It didn't take long to finish up some paperwork and tidy away the few books needing to be homed on her shelves for a while. Just as she was locking up the back office her computer dinged with an email. After a momentary debate she decided to check it before switching off the machine. She wasn't in a rush to get home, having decided to get a take away from the local chinese takeout.

It was an order for…

"The Magician's Nephew," she said aloud. It was getting a new home sooner than she thought but it was only right that as many people as possible had the opportunity to enjoy it.

J. Hale…the name sounded familiar, probably because it was a local address but she couldn't put a face to the name. She would soon enough, she was in the mood to make the delivery herself, especially considering the book she would be delivering. She was looking forward to meeting whoever was interested in a first edition copy of 'The Magician's Nephew'.

Suddenly, she was full of excitement. She couldn't wait to meet whoever had bought her book. Having been cheered up by this unexpected turn of events, she called in a collection to the takeaway, set the alarm and locked up as quickly as she could, anticipation strong in the air.


End file.
